


Ease My Mind

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Peter Parker, Uncle Ben is not dead yet, but is Penny Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23739478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: Penny gets hurt at school and her uncle has to come to pick her up.Prompt: First time they stand up for you
Relationships: Ben Parker & Peter Parker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Ease My Mind

Penny is seven years old, sitting with her ankles crossed, feet not quite touching the floor, in her school’s nurse’s office. Penny shifts uncomfortably in the chair as the nurse fiddles with her computer beside her. 

“Can you look up for me, sweetie?” The nurse asks kindly. Penny does as she’s told. The nurse frowns, “I don’t think your nose is broken. Here,” she hands Penny a tissue. “Hold this under your nose and lean forward, okay?” 

Penny doesn’t say anything, but she follows the nurse’s instructions. 

“Okay, Penny,” the nurse clicks something on her computer, “someone is calling your parents and they’ll be here soon.” 

“I don’t have parents,” Penny says softly. “I live with my aunt and uncle.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the nurse replies and, to Penny, she does sound sorry.

“Can’t I just go back to class?” Penny asks. “I’m fine. My aunt and uncle have important work to do.” 

“It’s the rules, sweetie.” The nurse sighs. “What do your aunt and uncle do?” 

“My aunt is a nurse and my uncle is a police officer,” Penny responds. 

The nurse nods, “Those are important jobs, but I think you’re more important than their work.” 

Penny casts her eyes down. She knows it’s going to be Uncle Ben who comes to get her. She doesn’t want him to be upset with her but she’s making him take the rest of the day off of work to take care of her at home. 

She wishes she had kept her mouth shut. Eugene only hurt her because she kept answering the questions that he got wrong. If she had pretended not to know the answers Ben wouldn’t have to come to get her. 

There’s a soft knock on the door and then it swings open. Uncle Ben walks in, still wearing his uniform, his face twisted into a concerned frown. He kneels beside Penny’s chair, “Hi, sweetheart. What’s going on?” 

The nurse sighs, “She won’t tell us. She went up to the recess monitor with her nose and lip bleeding, but she won’t tell us what’s going on.” 

Ben turns back to her with a frown, “Why not, honey?”

Penny shrugs, “It doesn’t matter.” 

Ben squeezes her leg, “Of course it matters, Pen. Did you fall?” She nods. Ben lifts an eyebrow, “Did you really?” Penny hesitates before shaking her head. “Did someone push you?” Penny nods. “Who?”

Penny shakes her head, “He’ll be mad if I tell.” 

Uncle Ben smiles at her encouragingly, “Remember our pact?” Penny nods. “I promise...” He prompts. 

“To tell someone when I’m hurt,” Penny recites. “And to ask for help when I need it.” 

“Very good,” Ben praises. 

Penny takes a breath, “It was Eugene,” she tells her uncle softly. “He pushed me.” 

Ben smiles at her, “Thank you for telling me, Penny. Now, can you wait here with Nurse...?”

“Sylvia,” the nurse prompts.

“With Nurse Sylvia, while I go talk to your principal?” Ben asks her. Penny nods. Before he leaves the room, he presses a quick kiss to Penny’s head. 

The walls of the school are thin and the nurse’s office and the principal’s office share a wall so Penny can here bits of her Uncle’s conversation with the principal. From what it sounds like, Ben is really angry. Penny hunches over in her seat, quietly accepting the new tissue the nurse hands her. 

A few minutes later the other room quiets and then the door to the nurse’s office opens. Ben walks back in, smiling at Penny and offering her his hand. Penny takes it and walks beside Ben as he grabs her bag and signs her out for the rest of the day. 

Once Ben is driving back to the apartment Penny says, “I’m sorry.” 

Ben frowns, looking at her in the rearview mirror, “What are you sorry for?” 

“Getting hurt. I know you have an important job and I’m sorry you had to come to get me,” Penny looks down at her shoes. 

“No, honey,” Ben says. “My job is never more important than you, okay? Besides,” he shrugs, “you saved me training a new recruit.” Ben mimes wiping sweat off his forehead. “It’s not your fault that you got hurt.” 

“But you were angry.”

“Not angry at you,” Ben explains. “I’m angry at your principal and your teachers for not noticing what happened and I’m really angry at that kid for hurting you. But, Penny, I’m not upset with you at all.” 

“Oh,” Penny says. It makes sense now that he explains it. 

“And if May and I have any say with it, he’s never going to hurt you again, okay, peanut?” Ben looks back at her once more. Penny gives him a small smile. “Now, what do you think about stopping for some ice cream on the way home? You can’t tell May though.” 

Penny laughs, “Yay!”

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish


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